South Pacific Championships

The South Pacific Championships, also known as the South Pacs, was a New Zealand tournament paintball competition associated with the Wellington region. It was one of the country's established regional tournaments during the late 1990s and early 2000s, attracting teams from both the North and South Islands.[1]

The competition was associated with Thunderball Paintball at Manor Park, in the Wellington region. The 2001 championship took place on 14–15 April and used an open five-player centre-flag format.[2]

The tournament formed part of the New Zealand competitive paintball calendar alongside events including the Northland Open, Wellington Cup and New Zealand Paintball Nationals. Its results were incorporated into the independent Valhalla National Rankings.[1][3]

History

Early history

The South Pacific Championships was established before 2001, although its precise founding date has not been confirmed.

The contemporary Mercenaries Star tournament calendar described the competition as one of New Zealand's oldest events and noted that its central location attracted teams from both main islands.[1]

The event was associated with the Wellington paintball community and the Thunderball playing facility at Manor Park.

The tournament was commonly called the South Pacs.

A separate Mercenaries Star calendar identified the Auckland-based APSA Easter Challenge as an alternative event for teams unable to travel to Wellington for the South Pacs.[4]

2001 championship

The 2001 South Pacific Championships was scheduled for 14–15 April 2001 at Thunderball, Manor Park, which the contemporary event notice identified as being in Upper Hutt.[2]

The published competition details specified:

Detail	2001 championship
Dates	14–15 April 2001
Venue	Thunderball, Manor Park, Wellington region
Team size	Five players
Competition class	Open
Format	Centre flag
Rules	APPL rules
Entry fee	NZ$350 per team
Tournament contact	John Clement

The tournament was played using a centre-flag format, in which opposing teams competed to secure a centrally positioned flag while eliminating their opponents.

John Clement was named as the tournament contact and operator of the Thunderball field.[2]

Participating teams in 2001

The surviving 2001 Valhalla National Rankings database documents participation by several New Zealand tournament teams.

Teams recorded in the South Pacific Championships scoring columns included:

Tag n' Release
Saints Gold
DamNatives
Phoenix Wellington
Fusion
Nutters
Flashpoint
P.C/B.C

The ranking database recorded both an opening round and a second round of the South Pacific Championships.[3]

Historical scoring records

Valhalla preserved the following calculated scoring contributions from the 2001 competition:

Team	Round 1	Round 2
Saints Gold	71.9	48.0
Tag n' Release	68.3	56.5
Phoenix Wellington	47.1	20.0
DamNatives	42.3	40.0
Fusion	36.3	Not recorded
Flashpoint	24.0	Not recorded
Nutters	24.0	Not recorded
P.C/B.C	7.7	Not recorded

These figures are Valhalla ranking calculations, not the original tournament scores or an official finishing order.

Valhalla converted tournament results into ranking points using its own scoring methodology. The surviving records therefore establish participation and relative scoring contributions but do not conclusively identify the overall 2001 South Pacific Championships winner.[3]

The same database incorporated results from the Wellington Cup, allowing performances across the two five-player tournaments to contribute towards annual rankings.

Tag n' Release finished first in the published October 2001 Valhalla five-player rankings with 214.5 points, followed by Saints Gold with 211.[3]

These rankings were separate from the championships awarded at the individual tournaments.

Tournament organisation

The South Pacific Championships was associated with the Thunderball paintball facility in the Wellington region.

John Clement was identified as Thunderball's field operator and the contact for the 2001 championship.[2]

The event was included in the annual Mercenaries Star tournament calendar, which circulated information about New Zealand competitions to teams throughout the country.[1]

The calendar distinguished the South Pacific Championships from the Wellington Cup, which was described as a new event during the 2001 season.

Although both tournaments were associated with Wellington, they were listed as separate competitions.[1]

Historical records

The principal surviving documentary sources for the South Pacific Championships include the contemporary tournament notice published through Mercenaries Star and the Valhalla National Rankings database.

The 2001 tournament notice preserves its dates, venue, competition format, entry fee and contact information.

The Valhalla database provides additional evidence of participating teams and tournament rounds.

The available records do not conclusively establish the competition's founding year, complete annual championship history or final edition.

References

Mercenaries Star – Annual Tournament Events, 2001. Contemporary New Zealand tournament calendar describing the South Pacific Championships as an established event attracting teams from both islands.
Mercenaries Star – South Pacific Championships, 2001. Original tournament notice specifying 14–15 April 2001, Thunderball, Manor Park, five-player centre-flag competition and John Clement as contact.
Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 2001. Archived five-player rankings with South Pacific Championships round scores and participating teams.
Mercenaries Star – Annual Tournament Calendar. Historical calendar identifying the South Pacs and the separate APSA Easter Challenge in Auckland.

External links